I have recently acquired a Pioneer DDJ-SR for a weekly I now do at Mollie Faontine’s for chill/lounge. It’s compact enough for me to sit at the bar and dj while entertaining others with conversation. It has all the features of a DJ setup with only a few slight exceptions which honestly are more of a habit to see or use and really aren’t show stoppers. I was having a discussion with a dj cohort of mine and we came to the conclusion that possibly the reluctance to switch to a prime time controller setup is mostly being too self-conscious of what others think. Are my DJ friends and comrades going to think less of me for using it? With 25 years behind me, what do I have left to prove? NOTHING. Anyone who cares already knows my background, knows what I can do and what my skills are, matter of fact…. I really shouldn’t care what anyone thinks anyway.
Way back when, I said to myself that I would make the switch from wax to CDJs when I can do with them what’s possible on vinyl. When I felt confident that was possible, I made the switch and it made sense too. Being one of the first few working djs in Memphis to use Final Scratch, I was able to dj with an enormous amount of music at my fingertips that would have required hours of load in and load out to my weekly gigs and not to mention the amount of stress on my shoulders and back. Vinyl is way too heavy and way too limited from a selection standpoint. It’s too expensive for a weekly purchasing budget and from a “lifespan of play” perspective, just not practical when compared to the benefits of digital format/media. Fast forward 10 years later and I’m still using CDJs… until now. Digital hardware is the next step in evolution and it is loathed by many circles of the “vinyl purist” as well as other pro DJs who already use the digital format (CDJs). Why? Maybe the art form, the artistic expression, the art…. blah blah. I guess it all depends on what’s best for YOU.
I still love my wax (vinyl) and I still use my good old CDJ 800’s (which are almost obsolete by todays standard version) for most gigs. While we are on the subject of old gear, what’s up with the prices of dj equipment these days? Simply from a cost perspective, it seems you have to be crapping out gold bricks just to afford a CDJ (cdj 2000 – $1800 if you find it on sale) and of course you have to have 2 of them. Let’s not even speak of a mixer… might as well sell your first born (Pioneer DJM 900 – $1999 – and that’s the basic model). All these things are needed to maintain the appearance that you are doing something deserving of artist praise or better yet, have skills that are deemed worthy of any respectable dj stature. There the caveat is again… the approval of others.
When low cost and convenience provides me with everything I need, why still lug around the heavy stuff? If I don’t care what people think and can still rock it just a well, hell even add some functionality to the mix all while making things easier on me, why wouldn’t I consider using this for my prime time sets, especially of the gigs are just my dj friends and me? Wouldn’t the crowd appreciate the fact I’m giving them more? Isn’t that what’s really important for the true DJs out there or even the older PROs that are trying to show how it’s done? The focus, in my opinion, should be more about what’s being delivered and less about how. This has been a lesson not easily learned by a “seasoned” dj as myself.
